16 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 40 



languages, like those of Scotch and of the various English dialects — 

 reveals the fact that considerable variation occurs in the manner of 

 producing sounds, and that each dialect has its own characteristic 

 phonetic system, in which each sound is nearly fixed, although sub- 

 ject to slight modifications which are due to accident or to the effects 

 of surrounding sounds. 



Each La^iguage Uses a Limited Number of Sounds 



One of the most important facts relating to the phonetics of 

 human speech is, that every single language has a definite and 

 limited group of sounds, and that the number of those used in any 

 particular dialect is never excessively large. 



It would seem that this limitation in the use of sounds is neces- 

 sary in order to make possible rapid communication. If the num- 

 ber of sounds that are used in any particular language were unlim- 

 ited, the accuracy with which the movements of the complicated 

 mechanism required for producing the sounds are performed would 

 presumably be lacking, and consequently rapidity and accuracy of 

 pronunciation, and with them the possibility of accurate interpre- 

 tation of the sounds heard, would be difficult, or even impossible. 

 On the other hand, limitation of the number of sounds brings it about 

 that the movements required in the production of each become 

 automatic, that the association between the sound heard and the 

 muscular movements, and that between the auditory impression and 

 the muscular sensation of the articulation, become firmly fixed. 

 Thus it would seem that limited phonetic resources are necessary 

 for easy communication. 



Alleged Lack of Diffet'entiation of Sounds in Primitive 



Languages 



It has been maintained that this is not a characteristic found in 

 more primitive types of languages, and particularly, examples of 

 American languages have often been brought forward to show that 

 the accuracy of their pronunciation is much less than that found in 

 the languages of the civilized world. 



It would seem that this view is based largely on the fact that cer- 

 tain sounds that occur in American languages are interpreted by 

 observers sometimes as one European sound, sometimes as another. 

 Thus the Pawnee language contains a sound which may be heard 



